>> at least 20 people are killed in a car bomb and gunfight in a hospital in yemen defense ministry complex. six doctors and five patients are among the dead. another two dozen killed in central africa. armed clashes broke out in the capital between former rebels controlling the city and militias. the u.n. is voting today on sending in international troops. and the king of thailand calls on the people to do their duty without directly referring to recent violent protests. those demonstrations are on hold today out of respect for the monarch's birthday. first to yemen, where six

doctors, including a venezuelan and two from the philippines are among the victims killed in a suicide bombing and gun attack. the suicide bomber reportedly set off a car packed with explosives at the defense ministry, leaving close to 20 dead in all. dozens more were hurt in the blast that smashed through walls in a hospital inside the complex. for more, i'm joined by a journalist there. what more can you tell us about this attack there today? >> yes, the gunmen were wearing military uniforms, and the complex of the defense ministry before generating their bombs. after the explosions, the gunshots and clashes took place inside the complex and are still taking place right now. we can still hear gunfire from the defense ministry. the killed and injured have been dispatched to the hospital. the military and the british have closed all the streets

surrounding the defense ministry. >> benjamin, what more do we know about who might be behind his attack or why? >> no one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. a few people are accusing him, saying that they most likely would be responsible for the attack. the defense ministry and the defense ministry have previously been packaged many times by al qaeda. however, they're still deeply divided after the departure, and these divisions are led to different clashes in the past, it also could be one of the

people for the responsibility. >> all right, thank you for that, benjamin, reporting there sa'naa. john kerr a in israel, doing all he can to insist israel's security will not be jeopardized with the new nuclear deal with iran. kerry reassured prime minister benjamin netanyahu that core sanctions again iran would remain in place. >> we believe that in a final deal, unlike the interim deal that's crucial to bring about final agreement about determination of iran's military nuclear capability, i have expressed my concern that the factions would begin to unravel, and i think steps must be taken to prevent further erosions of sanctions. i can't emphasize enough that israel's security in this negotiation is at the top of our agenda, and the united states will do everything in

our power to make certain that iran's nuclear program, a program of weaponization possibilities is terminated. a peaceful program should not be that hard to prove. >> next to strat african republic, where a gunfight broke out for several hours early this morning. around 20 have been reported dead so far. we have some pictures of film by our correspondent as the fighting went on. the central african republic has been described as a lawless country filled with fighting between muslim and christian militant groups. >> artillery rumbles in the distance. troops take cover. >> on thursday morning, the former rebels controlling the central african republic capital race the towards the sound of the shooting, though at first many didn't know exactly who had opened fire.

officials belonging to the ruling group are allied with the country's former president had a capital with rifles. locals worry their rival of the so-called anti-fighters could herald further bloodshed. >> this morning, woken up by the sound of gunfire. he wonders what was going on. we didn't know if the people had arrived. recently sectarian killings in the central african republic, both christian and muslim fighters are accused of targeting civilians. as the united nations prepares to vote, residents said they were counting on france to restore order. >> before days ago, we were at the border, and we're waiting for the green green light to enter the country. until now we haven't seen them. that's what's bothering us.

right now, everyone is afraid. >> on thursday, french armored vehicles were spotted in the streets of the capital. france's 600 troops already on the ground. that figure is set to double if the u.n. gets the go-ahead. >> for more now, we'll go to central african republic, where our correspondent is reporting for us from the capital. alex, if you're there, can you tell us a bit more about what's een happening there today? >> well, despite what officials were saying earlier this morning, it actually took them several hours to push back assailants, to push them back north of the capital, and until maybe midday there were reports of armed militiamen looting shots, and well, attacking people, attacking civilians, attacking members of the former coalition, rebel coalition. we were hearing, we heard shots being fired late in the

morning, and it's only maybe now that the situation is slowly coming under control. the u.n. special representative came to say that they had managed to push back the assailants, but he fears that the death toll will probably be rising as the day goes on. because of clashes erupting all through the city this morning. >> alex, about 200 french troops who are already there in the central african republic are moving into the area of the fighting now. have you seen any sign of them so far? >> well, we've seen them patrolling the streets. they've been emptied. everybody's staying at home, and we've seen a few patrols here and across town. they're staying mainly around the airport, where their base is, and next to french administrative buildings, which is the french embassy, of

course, but, of course, they're monitoring very closely the situation. but again, they're waiting for a vote at the u.n., and they haven't decided yet to move in. the question is whether they will, if clashes continue erupting in and just outside the capital, they will go in, move in before the vote at the u.n. >> all right, thanks for that, alex. that was our report from the pital of the central african republic. next, more details about the horrific conditions inside north korea's political prisoner camp. it's come to light in a report from amnesty international. the human rights group says satellite images of two camps suggest the inmate population is expanding. north korea denies the camp even exists, but amnesty interviewed both a former prison guard and an inmate who spoke about the brutality.

>> the condition may be grainy, but these slalte images released by amnesty international are still revealing. the rights group says this is one of four prisoner camps inside north korea, known as camp 16, located in the north of the country. the images, taken over the past two years, show it's expanded, with new housing blocks clearly visible t. now measures 560 square kilometers, three times the size of washington, d.c. >> more than 100,000 inmates in these political prison camps. the inmates could end up in this prison camp if they fall out of favor. >> that's what happened to kim young soon, a former dancer who used to perform for then-ruler kim jong il. she and her family were detained after she told a relative a friend was having an affair with the former leader. she spent nine years at camp 15

and says the conditions inside were brutal. >> there were two prisoners who were caught trying to escape and were publicly executed. in a public execution, the prisoner beat them half to death. >> the riots group also interviewed a former security official in the same camp, referred to as mr. lee, he said prisoners were forced to dig their own graves and that women inmates were often raped before being killed. >> the purpose of prison camps is to oppress, degrade, and violate inmates for as long as they are alive. >> north korea denies the existence of these camps, but the images and harrowing accounts released by amnesty tell a different story. >> to thailand, where proceed tests have given way to parades to celebrate the king's 86th birthday, but the country is still on edge following several days of violent street clashes between police and anti-government protesters.

>> ties were supposed to set aside political divisions under king's birthday, but when the prime minister appeared on the screen, this is how opposition upporters reacted. >> abuser! abuser! >> minutes later, the king called for stability in his speech. >> all ties should focus on doing their duties according to their responsibilities for the greater interest, which is the security and stability of the country. >> outside the palace, thais cheered together the 86-year-old king, but they remain deeply divided over the government. the opposition says the cabinet must step down because it's ontrolled by former ousted

prime minister, who is the brother of the leader. >> tomorrow the people's movement will continue in order to eradicate the thak si n regime from thailand and to eturn the power to the people. >> to return the power to the people, as they say, protesters hope to topple the elected government and replace it with an unelected people's council. >> now, a french researcher is behind a new breakthrough for more than 40,000 people hoping to get a cornea transplant worldwide. a biologist has found a way to reprogram hair cells to make a cornea from your own d.n.a. we have more on the discovery that's just been recognized by the academy of science. >> using hair cells to help the blind see again, for this french scientist, the goal behind a decade's work, just recognized by the academy of science. >> our laboratory's innovation

has taken a hair, cultivated its cells, and reprogrammed those cells to form cornea cells. >> the corneas protects the iris and the pupil. it can be destroyed in an accident, by burns, or infection. in such cases, the eye goes opaque, causing blindness. nowadays scientists are able to repair the cornea with grafts from donors, like those in this container. 42,000 people are currently awaiting for a cornea trance plarnt around the world, however, the number of donors pales in comparison. but grafting corneas from hair cells could bridge this gap. the next step, human testing. >> well, up may know that french cooking has been distinguished with world cultural heritage status from the u.n., but it's no longer the only country. the u.n. has given japan's cuisine the same honor. it uses seasonal ingredients, unique taste, time-consuming

preparation, and a style of eating steeped in centuries of tradition. here's more from the owner of one traditional japanese restaurant in tokyo. >> the japanese tradition of having a relaxing environment to appreciate food using all five senses is something i believe is unique to japan. some people nowadays are very busy, and i don't think they have much time to relax. so i hope this will be an opportunity, even for japanese people, to revisit and appreciate the benefits of apanese cuisine. >> hello and welcome to this edition of the week in the americas. i'm luke brown. coming up in the program -- excess speed the likely cause behind a train crash in new york that killed four people. reports indicate the driver may have lost concentration before the accident. hollywood and fans pay tribute after film star paul walker is

killed in a car crash, age 40. and french expertise and demand in brazil ahead of next year's football world cup. france's riot police offer some advice. we start in new york, where the investigation continues into a train crash that killed four people. it's already known that the train was travel agent almost three times the speed limit as it entered the at-risk bend. now lawyers say the driver, a 46-year-old william rockefeller, a volunteered firefighter who never had an accident in a decade of driving, lost concentration, in a daze, in the seconds before the crash. investigators also say automated safeguards had not been fitted on the line. charlotte hawkins has the story. >> the train was headed for new york's grand central station, but it came off the tracks just north of manhattan, almost crashing into the hudson river. 150 people were believed to be on board, many suffered injuries, and some were transported to nearby hospitals. >> i was sitting on the train,

and we were pulling up to the station. it's a day like any other, and then it started to make a loud chipping noise leak with the tracks, and the next thing i know, two people from across the train come flying at me and fell on top of me. i couldn't believe we were flipping over. >> divers searched for survivors along the shoreline in case passengers had been hurled into the freezing water. it's unknown what caused the accident. some passengers have said the train was traveling too fast towards the sharp curve in the track. >> the curve has been here for many, many years, right? and trains take the curve every day, 365 days a year, so there has to be another fact tomplet >> analysis of the train's black box should reveal more about the train's speed and whether brakes were applied. >> our mission is to understand not just what happened, but why it happened.

with the international preventing it from happening again. >> earlier this year, another train derailed in the same general area. the national transportation safety board says it will be investigating the scene for at least the next week. >> on the other side of the united states in california, another deadly transport incident. the tributes have poured in since the death late saturday of actor paul walker, the star of the "fast & furious" franchise. he lost his life along with a friend after the car they were driving slammed into a car. the accident investigators finding their task complicated by the number of fans congregating at the crash scene. production on the latest "fast & furious" film, the seventh in the series, has now been suspended. >> friends and fans pay tribute to paul walker, sharing memories of the american actor as they leave flowers and messages. similar scenes of sadness the night before, when dozens gathered spontaneously on the news of his death. paul walker was on the passenger seat traveling back

from a charity event when his friend's porsche crash into a tree before bursting into flames. the actor died on the spot in santa collarity a, california. he was 40 years old. >> so young. so young. and just huge fans. he's a great actor. great guy. >> i hope because of the way he died, being in the "fast & furious" films, no way. >> born in california, paul walker was only a child when he start going to castings. at the age of 13, he got his first major role in the movie "monster in the closet." he would later say that working in those years helped provide his family with much-needed extra income. walker's major breakthrough me with the "fast & furious" sag, infiltrating a gang of illegal street racers. he was perfectly suited for the role, as he was so passionate about fast cars. >> i was brought up around cars, and i was pretty familiar

with the scene. i wasn't really a big fan at that time. you know, but i knew about them. you know, i could point out any car and tell you what it is. you can point out a car and tell what you it is. it's empty knowledge, you know what i mean? >> walker leveled by the ocean in santa barbara with his 15-year-old daughter. he often stressed how much he loved nature and admired marine biologist cousetau. in 2010, he decided to use his fame and money to start the n.g.a. reach out worldwide. the aim was to bring aid and relief to people struck by natural disasters. paul walker once said acting was his job, not his life. he called hollywood garbage that ruins you if you get caught up in that world. >> staying in the united states, where barack obama is leading the fight back for his signature healthcare reform. the u.s. president announcing a recent tech surge has rectified

problems that users complained of. the disastrous rollout in october of the fundamental website has badly hurt obama's poll ratings. the problems besetting the affordable care act, a.k.a. obamacare, have been a boone for republicans. they now insist it's not the website that's faulty, but the law itself. obama says he will fight for the rest of his mandate, three years if need be, to make the law work. electoral uncertainty in the world's most dangerous country. honduras' top voting body says it will review the results of last month's presidential poll after a defeated candidate castro cried foul, calling protesters into the streets sunday and claiming the vote was rigged. the ruling national party's candidate, juan hernandez, won the november 24 poll by eight percentage points. castro is the wife of a former president whose ousting in 2009 precipitated months of turmoil. protesters in haiti continue to pile pressure on the president.

thousands taking to the streets in multiple cities friday, calling for the president to step down, some bearing pictures of the previous president, aristide. they're also demanding an end to a claim there's interference by the must haitian affairs. police and u.n. peacekeepers preventing the crowd from reaching the u.s. embassy. in brazil, the countdown has very much started ahead of next year's hotly anticipated football world cup. one huge challenge for the brazilian authorities will be securing the global event, as well as a social protest movement that shows little sign of wange, the threat of violence from criminal gangs also looms large, with stores of thousands of foreign fans expected, the brazilian police have asked for advice from their french counterparts. >> words of wisdom from french riot officers to military police in rio de janeiro.

they're here to teach brazilians how to deal with rioting. >> we're not used to demonstrations. this is something new for police in rio and brazil as a whole, i think, so we really have to get trained up. >> these officers are more used to fighting heavily armed drug taskers than taking on political activists. >> we're putting combat success on nonlethal methodsly to restore public order by respecting the idea of citizenship and the sense we're not dealing with delinquents. >> but police still use firearms, clubs, even electric stun guns against protesters with alarming regularity. a controversial strategy for a democratic country, but one that's emerged against violent crime. half of its 19 million inhas not ant r ants have already been victims of theft or

assault. >> at any given moment, something is happening, an abduction, domestic violence, so no, i don't feel safe. >> among the forces fighting against drugs is the captain and his team. may god bless and protect you, work well. >> they're on patrol heading for the stadium where the opening world cup match will be played. >> in this district, there are murders and drug trafficking. it was much worse before, but some of the quiet area. >> police here face danger on a daily basis. last year they lost 106 of their colleagues, and the pressure on them is mounting. brazzell's main criminal gang is threatening to target the world cup. it's a real threat. they're already active, and all the indications are that it

will intensify. but it won't affect the event itself. >> across the country, hundreds of thousands of security personnel will be mobilized, sporting brand new equipment, but the federal police, the equivalent of the f.b.i. is trying to play down the threat osed by the p.c.c. >> the main constant of the security forces is to reduce the risk of petty crime, because today, the b.c.c. isn't seen as a real threat to security forces. aupt most unpredictable factor, however, remains the protests, and that's where the government is tracking down. more than 250 students and other activists have already been arrested, some of them in prisons under a law which was last applied under the dictatorship.

some activists are already behind bars. in a protest in rio de janeiro, this man chained himself to the front of the city council and began a hunger strike. >> here in brazil, a politician who steals billions doesn't see the inidentified a prison. or if he does, he's free two weeks later. while someone who just protested is in prison for months without the slightest proof, that isn't democracy. as brazil's congress is working on a new law to define terrorism. activists fear it could be used to discourage demonstrators ahead of the world cup. >> the landfill is ready, but there's no waste in it. international donors invested 30 million u.s. dollars in this modern, earth-friendly dump site, but politics have got innocent way. israel blocks the site because of this settlement nearby. it says its waste must also be treated in the landfill. to the palestinians, that's unacceptable. >> there are no alternatives.

the alternatives are to continue to throw the waste and behind the palestinian municipality. >> senegal looks like a piece of paradise next to this. in reality, the water is threatening the city. it's moving several meters closer every year. 10 years ago, authorities feared the senegal river would flood san luis. they dug a four-meter wide opening in the ground, hoping the river would pour into the sea. but instead, seawater filled the giant hole, threatening to verflow the city entirely. canadian hunters can prepare their material. they got a green light to hunt moose in more areas. the animal was reintroduced in the 1950's, but now it's threatening the environment. the moose are eating too much vegetation,